


Mentor

by SecondhandStockholm



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Cute, Dead Parents, Father/son relationships, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, angsty, i'm such a slut for this stuff, mild child abuse, reassurance, slightly OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-09-02 06:47:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8654875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecondhandStockholm/pseuds/SecondhandStockholm
Summary: Four Times the Team Lost Their Fathers (and Found Them)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Damn, this is the longest fanfiction I've ever written in one chapter. 
> 
> Anyway, I saw this as a prompt, and I thought it was a genius idea. I know this isn't exactly a "5+1" fic, I tried but it just wouldn't work with what I was trying to do. Hope you like it anyway.
> 
> Also I'm taking some liberties with the backgrounds of some characters (i.e. Kaldur and Wally) because I don't actually know anything about their fathers.
> 
> I hope this characterization is accurate, I actually haven't seen season 2 because I took the five year time jump as a personal offense.

The pain Robin felt was nothing new. He had years to adjust to the loss of his parents, years to mourn silently on patrols and grieve angrily during training and, sometimes, when he was sure he was alone, sob loudly in his room. Still, that didn't mean it didn't hurt. It hurt in his chest, it was a thick, terrifying feeling, like he couldn't breathe and he was falling, and god how Robin hated falling. 

Of all the days he dealt with his pain, not many hurt as much as his father's birthday. His mother, ever a quiet soul, always claimed she would rather they not fuss over her and therefore they hardly celebrated whenever she turned older. The only day that was as difficult was the anniversary of their deaths, and even then, Robin's body knew something his mind didn't, and he would spend the day practically catatonic, sitting on his bed in the manor, hardly even recognizing the tears that made their way silently down his face. Everyone that knew him-well, knew Dick- knew to give him space; that nothing they said could help. 

But his father's birthday- he had to survive that. His mother once teased his father that living in a circus, it would be hard to throw a party that wouldn't get overshadowed by what was all around them, and ever since, his father would make it his mission to throw the wildest, most incredible parties Robin had ever seen. Robin looked forward to that day more than his own birthday. 

Now, though, he just spent the day at Gotham Cemetery, sitting by his father's grave. He would wake up early, early enough to avoid Alfred's gentle attempt to get him to eat something- he never ate on days like those, for fear of throwing up- and stop by a florist to get a bouquet of Aster- his father's favorite flowers (and if he started saying that as a tribute to him, well, he'd never tell). Then he'd sit, leaning against the tombstone. Sometimes he'd talk, most times he wouldn't. He always forgot a jacket, something that wouldn't have even registered had it not been for the fact that his father's birthday was in December. He would stay from dawn til dusk, until his tired body couldn't take any more sadness in one day, and he'd doze off, arms wrapped tightly around his sides. He knew what to expect next, though.

He'd feel a gentle shake of his shoulder, and awaken to see his foster father, gazing down with an understanding expression, more gentle than Bruce gave to anyone else. Robin (who was really just Dick, except that Dick didn't feel like being Dick right now) would smile, and every year it got closer to reaching his eyes, but it never quite made it. He'd wipe away the tear that somehow always remained on his left cheek, and then he'd take the hand Bruce was offering, and Bruce would pull him up, and wrap him in the blanket he'd brought. Bruce would gently ask if he was okay, and Robin would nod, even though they both knew he wasn't. Then Bruce would hug Robin, letting the teen cry into his shoulder, and they would stay that way for a while, until Robin pulled away, never Bruce. 

Then Bruce would usher Robin to the car waiting, his hand on Robin's back. When they got to the car, Bruce would open the door and Robin would see his stuffed elephant, Matvi, that he had had since he was a baby. Bruce brought it for him every year. Robin would smile his first real smile of the day and climb in the warm car. Bruce would sit next to Robin and put his arm around him as the boy leaned into him, exhausted body drifting off to sleep. And just before his eyes closed, Robin would reach his hand out, and Bruce would take it, and Robin would squeeze, and when Bruce squeezed back he knew he'd be okay. 

~

Kaldur never knew his father, but he always thought of him the same way- gentle smile, hair and eyes just like his, brave and wise like every father should be- and that was enough to keep the sadness of never knowing him at bay. 

When the mission the young heroes were on went south, he had the good sense to call in the League for backup. They had never dealt with this particular villain before- an aquatic foe by the name of Black Manta- and Kaldur hoped his king would be able to provide some insight. 

He contacted Superman, who was in a meeting at the Watchtower with the rest of the League, and upon mentioning the name of their adversary, he heard his mentor's frantic voice in the background. The call abruptly ended before Kaldur could make out anything he was saying, but he knew anything that bothered his usually calm king wasn't good. 

“The League's on their way!” He had shouted to his team, most of whom were too distracted trying to combat Manta's moves to reply. 

At his comment, Manta turned. “You're bringing friends? I must say I'm a little disappointed you couldn't handle me yourself, Kaldur.” (That comment alone unnerved him; he had never told him his name) “Honestly, Kaldur, you're disappointing your old man.” 

Kaldur looked at him, trying to figure out what Manta meant, when a hissing sound distracted him. Black Manta's helmet was splitting in two, and slowly pulled apart to reveal light blonde hair and sea green eyes. 

Kaldur forgot how to breathe for a moment. Suddenly the world seemed askew, and he felt as though he was waking up from a bad dream. Manta smirked as Kaldur finally learned the truth. 

“I thought you would've been able to take me down without the help of the grown-ups, Kaldur. I know you were raised by that sniveling coward Aquaman, but I expected more from you.” 

Kaldur's hands grew into fists, but the anger didn't reach his eyes, which were now filled with tears. He blushed, embarrassed that this stranger- he refused to think of him as father- got the best of him. 

“Why do you seem so surprised? Did Aquaman never tell you the truth? Tsk tsk. And here I thought all those Justice Leaguers were for justice and truth. Guess you can't depend on anyone these days.” 

Connor looked up from where they were all watching the conversation, his super-hearing recognizing the League nearby. Manta didn't miss it. 

“Well, seems as if your backup is arriving. Forgive me, but I just feel dreadfully tired. Maybe we can pick this up another time? Until then, son.” And with that, Manta was gone. 

The team all stood in a daze, unsure of how to react. They all looked to Kaldur, their leader, though he was in no state to make any decisions right now. The tears in his eyes were still there, threatening to spill, as he looked ahead in shock and confusion.

When the League arrived, Aquaman rushed forward, unaware of the damage that had been done. 

“Kaldur'ahm!” He called, stopping a few feet behind the boy. 

“You knew.” Kaldur managed, voice shaking. 

“What are you speaking of, Kaldur'ahm?” 

Kaldur turned around, to the concerned faces of his friends and the League. 

“You knew Black Manta was my father and you didn't tell me.” By the end of the sentence the tears started to make their way down his face. 

Aquaman had the decency to look ashamed. 

“Kaldur'ahm, please-” But before he could finish, Kaldur ran off, feeling as though his whole world had been uprooted. 

~

It took Aquaman all afternoon to track Kaldur down. He had found a YMCA somewhere downtown and had been swimming laps for hours. He stopped when he saw a familiar pair of boots dangling over the edge of the pool, now deserted except for him. 

“Do you know how many pools I had to search to find you?” Aquaman asked, in an attempt to lighten the mood. 

Kaldur just looked at him with a guarded expression, trying not to let his hurt show. It didn't work. 

Aquaman sighed. “Please come here, Kaldur'ahm” he said, patting the tile next to him. 

Kaldur relented, and pulled himself out of the pool to sit next to his mentor. It was quiet for a moment, before Aquaman spoke.

“I'm sorry I did not tell you about your father earlier. I had no right to lie to you about your parentage.”  
“No, you didn't.” Kaldur snapped, which was so unlike him, but given the day's events, he figured he could be afforded a little leeway. 

When his mentor didn't even reprimand him for talking back, he knew Aquaman truly felt guilty.

“I'm sorry for snapping, my king, I just... I just don't understand.” Kaldur said, his voice starting to shake again. “I thought he was dead.”

Aquaman sighed, and was silent for a moment, trying to figure out his response. 

“When you were brought to me as a baby, do you know what the first thing you did was? You grabbed my finger and smiled. You had just lost your mother and you still managed to smile. From that moment on, I knew you were going to be incredible, Kaldur'ahm. Do incredible things. As soon as I learned about your father, I knew I had to keep it a secret. You were growing up happy, you were talented in your classes. I was worried of what the knowledge of who your father truly is would do to you. I guess I didn't want your father's legacy hanging over your head, not when you were on your way to accomplish so much.”

Kaldur huffed. “I'm afraid I have disappointed you, my king, I haven't accomplished much of anything.” 

“That is not true, Kaldur'ahm. You're a brave boy, a fantastic team leader, a kind soul. You're talented and intelligent and courageous. You're everything I hoped you would be. And I am so proud of you.” 

Kaldur turned to look at his mentor, a look of surprise on his face. 

“Truly, my king?”

“Truly, son.” 

It was quiet for a moment, before Aquaman spoke up. 

“Race you to the end of the pool?”

Kaldur just laughed, and slid effortlessly into the water.

“You're on.”

And just like that, Kaldur knew that whether or not Black Manta was disappointed in him, his true father wasn't, and that was all that mattered. 

~

For all that Artemis called him a loudmouth, Wally was pretty good at keeping secrets. Hell, he'd kept the team fooled. None of them knew about his life before he went to live with Uncle Barry, but they all assumed something tragic had happened to his parents. They understood it would make him not want to talk about it. None of them (except for Robin) knew that all the tragic things that happened while living with his parents happened to him. 

It got harder to hide on some days, when he was stressed or upset or someone (usually Connor) was being more aggressive than usual. He knew it was a reflex, a self-defense mechanism, but that didn't make it any less annoying. 

This time, it was after a particularly rough mission. They had been successful in stopping the villain, but not before he killed a civilian. The atmosphere was tense as the teens returned to the cave. 

Wally attempted to fill the silence with what he did best- mundane chatter. Unfortunately, Connor also decided to do what he did best- angry threats. 

“Keep talking and I'll bash your fucking face in.” The clone said, in an attempt to get the redhead to stop talking.

M'gann was quick to scold him, as was Batman, who they didn't see lurking in the shadows, waiting to be debriefed on the mission. 

However, unlike M'gann, who reprimanded her boyfriend simply because she knew it was rude to threaten people, Batman was one of the few who knew about Wally's past.

Only people who knew the Bat well would be able to recognize the concern in his stoic expression.

Wally did not, however, even recognize that Batman was there, let alone his concern for the boy.  
He was attempting to ward off the nausea that immediately followed Connor's comment. The room felt like it was spinning, and he was having a hard time breathing. He was immediately taken back to when he was five, and had spilled spaghetti sauce on the table. 

“Clean that up right now, brat, and if I find out it left a stain I'll bash your fucking face in.” His father had threatened. Unfortunately for Wally, the spill did leave a stain, and he hadn't been able to see out of his left eye for a week. 

Batman, having been observing the boy, recognized his oncoming panic attack and was quick to alert Flash, who had helped his nephew through most of these attacks before.

They didn't call him the Flash for nothing, and he was there within minutes. 

Coming to a stop before his nephew, his eyes filling with concern, he crouched down to be eye to eye with the boy, who had fallen to his knees, panting. 

“What happened?” He asked, trying to get Wally's attention. 

“Connor threatened to 'bash his fucking face in' if he didn't stop talking.” Batman reported, causing everyone to glare at Connor. Well, everyone except Barry. He knew the boy didn't mean to cause this, and anyways, he had more important things to worry about at the moment, like helping his nephew. 

“Wally.” He murmured gently, grabbing Wally's head with both hands and gently pulling his face up. “Look at me, you're okay, you're here, he can't hurt you.” 

Wally, eyes unfocused and full of tears, managed to nod, before throwing himself into his uncle's arms. He cried unrestrained, trying to stop the terrifying feeling he had grown up with. His uncle picked him up, and with a final word of thanks to Batman, ran off to Wally's room, the boy still sobbing in his arms. 

The bewildered team heard their teammate faintly saying “I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry” as he was carried off by his uncle. 

It was silent in the room for a moment.

“What the hell was that?” Artemis asked, breaking the silence.

“That is something Wally will have to tell you himself, should he choose to.” And with that, Batman beckoned his ward and the two took off. 

~

Back in Wally's room, Barry had just set his nephew down on his bed. The boy was still crying, clinging on to his uncle's uniform. Barry sat patiently, hugging his nephew and smoothing his hair down, muttering soft reassurances in his ear. He had done this enough times to know that all he could do was wait for the boy to calm down. 

It hurt him to see his nephew, who he loved so much, in so much pain.

When Wally finally managed to stop crying, he sat back and looked down, too embarrassed to look his uncle in the eye. 

“Hey.” Barry said gently, taking his nephew's chin in his hand and pulling it up so he would look him in the eye. “None of that, now. Remember what the therapist said?”

Wally swallowed, still embarrassed. “Relapses are part of the recovery process.”

“And?”

“And I'm not weak for feeling this way.” 

“That's right. You're not. You're strong, you're so strong Wally.” 

Wally sniffed. “I don't feel that way. I just embarrassed myself in front of all my friends. They probably think I'm a baby.”

The speedster gave his nephew a kind smile. “They're your friends. They won't think any less of you for this. I promise. Think of it this way, did Robin treat you differently when he found out?”

Wally shook his head.

“Then why would the rest of your friends do any different? Should you decide to tell them, I'm sure they'd be understanding.” 

Wally was quiet for a minute, before nodding and smiling at his uncle. 

“Thanks, Uncle Barry. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you.”

“Well, lucky for you, you do.” Barry responded, smiling at his nephew and gently bumping the teen's shoulder with his own.

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, before the Flash stood up.

“Right. There's only one thing to make you feel better, and that is ice cream.”

Wally smiled. “Rocky Road?” He asked.

Barry scoffed. “As if there's anything else.” He smiled again at his nephew. 

He turned to leave, but stopped when he felt his nephew's hand on his wrist. 

“Yes?” He asked, turning around. 

Wally flushed, embarrassed by his clinginess. “Um, don't get me wrong, I definitely want that ice cream, but, uh, do you think you could stay here a little longer before...” He trailed off, unable to finish his request.

Barry smiled at his nephew, and ruffled his hair as he moved back over to the bed. His nephew sat down next to him, his head leaning against his uncle's shoulder. Barry instinctively put his arm around the child. 

“Thank you, Uncle Barry, for everything. I love you.”

The Flash smiled, a warm, fond smile he reserved for his nephew. “Love you too, kiddo.”

~

Connor was beating the shit out of the punching bag in the mountain's gym. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was also trying very hard not to cry. 

They had just gotten back from a mission. Civilians watched as Connor lifted a car from its place on a woman. Unfortunately for Connor, kids tend to lack manners, and a young girl had loudly proclaimed, “Mommy! That guy just lifted a car! Is he a freak or something?” The girl's mother had been quick to shush her, but Connor had heard her, after all, one of his freak abilities was super-hearing.  
He was a freak, the more he thought about it. His teammates acted like he was the same as them, but he wasn't. Not really. 

After all, he had no parents. Not really. Oh sure, he technically had Lex Luthor, who only wanted to use him, and Superman, who steered clear of him. Fantastic. Not to mention that he only had some of the powers his father did. 

Too human to be an alien, too alien to be human. 

Awesome.

He continued to punch the bag, trying to forget the day's events. He was taken out of his thoughts by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind him. 

He turned around, preparing to be reprimanded by Batman or Canary for almost destroying the punching bag- again- but instead was met with Superman, looking determined, if slightly uncomfortable. 

Connor looked at him wearily, not wanting his heart to be stomped on again, and after the last time he attempted to make contact with the man of steel, he really didn't want to be made to look like a fool again. 

“If you're looking for Batman, I think he's out patrolling with Robin...” Connor trailed off, not wanting to allude to how he was feeling at the moment. 

“Actually, Connor, I wanted to talk to you, if you have a minute.” Superman rubbed his neck, looking a little unsure of himself.

Connor was only slightly ashamed to admit that he was enjoying it.

“Um, okay...” He said, still unsure of what Superman could possibly want to say to him. “Hey, just a reminder, you're not my real son, and you never will be!”? 

Hell, the most the man had said to him at this point had been “stay here”.

Superman nodded. “Do you wanna get some coffee?” 

Connor tried not to look suspicious as he nodded.

Soon enough they sitting at a nearby Starbucks, Superman with a peppermint mocha and Connor with a hot chocolate (He didn't really like coffee, just another way he and his not-father were different). 

“So...” Connor started.

Superman sighed. “Look, Connor, I haven't been fair to you, and we both know it. I've been ignoring you, and that was wrong of me. Regardless of how you were...conceived...you are biologically mine and I have a responsibility to see that you're okay.” 

“More like obligation...” Connor muttered into his drink. Of course, Superman heard it. Super hearing and all.

“More like responsibility, Connor.” The man tried to reassure him. 

“Are you sure? Cause when you put it like that it sure sounds like an obligation.” Connor scowled. His father was finally attempting to reach out to him and he was pushing him away. 

Superman sighed. “Connor.” Connor kept his gaze firm on his cup, tracing the swirling white design against the festive red with his thumb. “Connor, please look at me.” And when he put it like that, damn. 

Connor looked up hesitantly, expecting to see contempt or god forbid, exasperation, in his father's expression. He was not expecting to see sympathy and guilt. 

“For someone who claims to uphold the virtues of truth and freedom I haven't exactly been a very good example.” 

Connor smiled halfheartedly. “Look, if you're doing this because you feel guilty about abandoning me,” and Connor didn't miss the man's wince at the word “abandon”, “don't. You had no say in my creation, I wasn't supposed to exist. I get why you'd rather pretend I don't.” 

“Oh, Connor, no.” Superman said, and grabbed Connor's hand, in what Connor assumed was an attempt at sincerity. “I was terrified of having someone's life be my responsibility. I was terrified I'd mess it up. But Connor, watching you, I've realized now that you're so incredible on your own. You're really making the League proud, kid.”

Connor flushed at the praise. And then flushed more when he realized there were tears in his eyes.

Unfortunately, Superman noticed them too. “Did I say something wrong?” He asked, and Connor almost laughed at how terrified Superman sounded. He shook his head.

“No, it's just...that's the first time you've given me a compliment.” Superman looked incredibly guilty at that statement. 

“Look Connor...I've talked it all out with Batman, and I was wondering if maybe...you'd like to come live with me?” Superman asked.

Connor looked up. “You mean like...permanently?” 

Superman smiled and nodded. “Yeah, or for as long as you'd like. We could start off slow if you'd prefer, maybe weekends or every other week or something?” 

A real, genuine smile broke across the boy's face. “Yeah, I'd really like that Superman.”  
The man of steel smiled back. “Please, call me Clark.” 

And for the first time he could remember, Connor felt like he had someone he could call dad.

~  
Bonus: One time the team had fathers, and wished they didn't (but not really)

“Shhh! Do you wanna get caught?” Wally whispered aggressively as he fumbled for a light switch. 

Robin snorted from his spot behind his best friend. “We've been here for how many months and you still don't know where the lights are?” 

“Oh yeah, well at least I'm more than five feet tall.” 

“Dude, what the hell, you know I'm more than five feet tall!” 

“Yeah, whatever you say, just remind me to never feed you after midnight.” 

“Are you calling me a gremlin?” 

“You said it, not me, Rob.”

“Oh you stupid, son of a-” 

“Guys!” That voice belonged to Kalur, who was behind Robin. Behind him was Connor, who was watching the conversation with an amused expression. “I believe we should focus on not getting caught, as Wally said.” 

“Right, right...” Wally muttered.

They had decided to take Connor out for a night on the town, since he was still bummed about not having a birthday. They were trying to throw him a “you-don't-have-a-birthday party”, and it went pretty well. Connor had a great time. They went bowling, then saw a movie, stopped a mugging (old habits) and got tacos. Pretty successful night, if you ask Wally. 

However, now they were attempting to sneak back into the mountain without being caught. It was just past 2 in the morning, and though they didn't exactly have curfews, they all knew they'd be in trouble if their mentors found out they were out without their permission. 

“What did you guys think of the movie?” Robin asked, still bemusedly watching his friend grope the wall for a light switch. 

“It was...confusing.” Connor admitted, and Kaldur nodded. Humans confused them sometimes. Especially when they made movies with special effects, where they pretended to have powers they didn't actually have. 

“Dude...it was awesome! And that part where Newt walked into the suitcase...hilarious!” Wally added, thinking back and laughing. “Plus the part where that lava rhino tried to bone the no-maj...incredible!” Wally was full on giggling at this point. His friends tried to shush him, but it was too late.

A light clicked on, causing all four teens to look over at its source.

“Oh shiiiitttttt.” Wally said quietly. 

Standing with their arms crossed in front of them were their respective mentors. Flash and Superman looked a tad amused, Aquaman looked neutral, and Batman, well, the guy always looked scary. 

“And just what exactly are you four doing out?” Batman asked, expression unwavering. 

Wally, brave, impulsive Wally, was the first to speak up. 

“Um, we went to take the trash out?” He said. Robin looked at him with an expression that clearly said 'way to go dumbass.'

Connor's reaction wasn't quite so subtle. “Way to go, dumbass.” He said. 

“Try again, try the truth.” Superman said. 

Robin nodded. “Well, Connor was kinda bummed that he didn't have a birthday to celebrate so we took him out to celebrate his not-birthday.” 

Superman seemed to soften at the sentiment, but one glance at Batman and his resolve returned. 

“And why did you feel the need to sneak out in order to do so?” The dark knight asked.

“Well, we thought you wouldn't let us go.” Kaldur admitted. 

The four mentors all showed slightly different amounts of confusion at that statement. 

“You guys know you're not prisoners right?” The Flash asked. “You're allowed to go do stuff, you just need to ask us first.” 

All four teens blushed. “I guess we hadn't thought of that...” Wally admitted. 

“Well, I think that's enough team scolding. Time for one-on-one scolding.” The Flash smirked, and with that, the four teens all left with their respective mentors. 

If you were there, and listened closely, you could hear four slightly different variations of “do you have any idea how worried I was about you?”


End file.
